


Monkey See

by Eliza



Category: Saiyuki
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-08-31
Updated: 2005-08-31
Packaged: 2017-10-12 08:36:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/122989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eliza/pseuds/Eliza
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Goku sees more than everyone thinks he does.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Monkey See

"It's hot."

The sound of the wheels moving through the ocean of sand just made it seem hotter.

"It's hot!"

"You have an astounding grasp of the obvious, saru," Gojyo said, in a voice that barely made it through the very hot air to Goku's ears. Goku looked closely at his seat mate and noticed that the cigarette between his lips wasn't lit.

"Why aren't you smoking?"

Sharp eyes peered at him through a fall of hair that seemed thicker than usual. Then Gojyo said, "It's hot!" at exactly the same time as Hakkai and Sanzo.

"Hey...!"

"Shut up!"

The fan stung but the breeze it created felt good. Now that Sanzo was talking to him again, Goku leaned between the front seats. What he was going to ask escaped his brain as he noticed something odd about Sanzo.

"Your nose is pink. And starting to peel." He'd almost touched the burned skin when the gun barrel pressed between his eyes made him reconsider.

"Perhaps you should start wearing a hat, Sanzo," Hakkai suggested. Hakkai always sounded like he enjoyed making suggestions.

"Perhaps I should make sure you never need one."

"A small flaw in that threat, Sanzo-sama," Gojyo drawled. " You've got a monkey in the way."

Sanzo tapped Goku's forehead with the barrel of the gun. Hard. "Mostly empty. The bullet won't even slow down."

"But the skull is hard. The bullet would probably ricochet and hit something very important. Like me."

"Either way, it wouldn't be wasted."

"I think it would be best if we all cool off," said Hakkai.

Goku turned to let Hakkai know that he wasn't really worried about being shot, when he saw where Hakkai was looking. "Is that--?"

"Shade?" Gojyo interrupted while pushing his way between the seats and dumping Goku into Sanzo's lap.

"Probably water, too." Hakkai's head turned back toward them just a little bit. "You can get your saucer refilled."

Gojyo laughed softly. "Sounds like an excellent idea." He sat back and lit the cigarette.

Goku looked up at Sanzo, wanting confirmation of what just went on, but decided to move–-quickly--to the back seat instead. And ask Gojyo. "Why'd you laugh? When I say something like that you punch me." Gojyo punched him.

"Because you don't say it with love, baaaaka."

That's what Goku thought. He'd only just started to notice the little smiles and under the breath whispers but he wasn't sure which one was new–-the smiles or his noticing. Gojyo's snide answer suggested no one had noticed his noticing either.

"How do you know?" Goku said, playing dumb to keep the stupid kappa talking.

"Because everyone knows you only love the person who feeds you and I have no intention of doing that."

"Baka." Goku kicked the stupid kappa. "Not me. How does saying you're a kappa that needs his saucer refilled have anything to do with love?" He knew he'd hit the right question from the way Hakkai's hand went to his face and the size of Gojyo's grin.

"Oh." Gojyo tried to put on a serious face. "I guess if you're old enough to ask the question, you're old enough for the answer. It goes like this–"

"SILENCE!" Both Gojyo and Goku blinked at the violence in Sanzo's voice. "If you must justify that ridiculous question with some perverted version of an explanation, wait until I'm out of hearing."

Gojyo smirked and leaned forward far enough for his shoulder to rest against the back of Hakkai's seat. "Who said it was going to be perverted?" The answering snort deepened the smirk. "What's the matter, worldly monk? 'Fraid you might learn somethin'?"

"Hakkai."

"Please, don't try to put me between the two of you." Goku saw Hakkai's calm smile change to wrinkle the corner of his eye. And it was only because he was paying such close attention that he heard Hakkai whisper, "On second thought...." Gojyo fell back onto his seat with a roar of laughter while Sanzo just stared.

"I thought you'd given up seeking death."

Gojyo leaned over Hakkai's shoulder. "That entirely depends--" Hakkai stopped Gojyo's comment by whapping him in the face with the map and Gojyo sat back again, wearing a huge grin.

"What?" Goku said, confused for real this time. "He hits you with love, too?"

There was a long moment of silence then Gojyo began to laugh so hard tears ran down his face. Even Hakkai's shoulders were shaking. Sanzo glared.

"The instant it isn't too hot to move, you're both dead."

Sanzo looked really mad, and really hot. His face was pink now, too, and he seemed to have started sweating. Goku had never seen Sanzo sweat. "Are you okay, Sanzo? Maybe you _should_ start wearing a hat."

"Shut up!"

The fan came up as usual, but stopped short of reaching his head. A bark of laughter escaped Hakkai and Gojyo looked like he was having a seizure. The gasping and wheezing worried Goku until Gojyo reached up and clutched at Hakkai's shoulder.

"I'm gonna die," he croaked. Hakkai just patted Gojyo's hand and grinned, showing teeth and everything.

"Hurry the fuck up about it," Sanzo snarled and lit the cigarette he'd put in his mouth. He looked calmer as he closed his eyes and inhaled. Then Goku felt it--the cooler air, the smell of water and green things. He was feeling the tickle of the edge of an idea, too, that it was more than the heat making Sanzo so cranky. Hakkai was right again; this would be easier to work out when they were all a little cooler.

~~~

Bubbles tickled his nose as Goku sighed into the surface of the water. They weren't even trying to hide it anymore. Hakkai had pushed Gojyo and Goku into the small river while they still had their underclothes on with instructions to give them a wash. They splashed and dunked each other until Goku almost drowned as Gojyo pulled his shirt over his head.

"Hurry up, or I'll do the shorts, too," Gojyo said, taking off his own tank.

Moments later he waded out of the water with an armful of wet cloth. Hakkai stopped picking up the rest of their scattered clothes and watched-–stared–-until Gojyo stepped up onto the bank, then Hakkai rose to his feet with Gojyo's cigarettes and lighter in his hand. He smiled, the sweet smile which lately had started to make Goku nervous, then took out a cigarette and placed it between his lips. Hakkai looked down to Gojyo's feet and up again, then he lit the cig. Gojyo's shoulders lifted in a deep breath as Hakkai exhaled a bit of smoke, then he placed the lit cigarette in Gojyo's mouth and took the wet clothes.

"Hardly a fair trade," Gojyo said.

"I have no complaints," Hakkai said, taking a step back and taking his time bringing his eyes back up to meet Gojyo's.

Eventually, Gojyo turned back to the river and Goku sank below the surface because _that_ was something he really didn't need to see. He could hear the splashes as the kappa waded into the water and he came back up in time to see Gojyo ease onto his back, holding the cigarette between his teeth, the ridiculous hair fanning out like weeds as he floated. And Hakkai still stared.

The crack of a twig startled both of them--Hakkai to turning to spread the wet clothes over a bush and Goku to watch Sanzo walk toward the river.

"Couldn't find a better spot?" Hakkai asked cheerfully, glancing over his shoulder. Sanzo just scowled and stepped out of his robes, the sutra already in its compact roll. He picked up the dusty white cloth and started toward the river. "It will take too long to dry," Hakkai said, not turning around this time. The scowl deepened but the robes were draped over a branch. Sanzo continued to the river and Hakkai added, "So will your jeans."

The scowl turned into the stop-being-so-fucking-annoying look, but Sanzo sank to his knees at the river's edge instead of wading in. He sat perfectly still, like he was meditating, which was a little weird because Sanzo never meditated like that. And even this didn't last long, the picture shifting when Sanzo lifted his hand to his shoulder. He slid the silver ring down his arm, black cloth trailing until the second, smaller ring slid off his finger. The action was repeated at the other arm with the same motion, the same pace. Goku had seen Sanzo naked, in the baths, in bed when he was three-quarters dead, but he'd never seen Sanzo undress. Or maybe he'd never watched Sanzo undress. Even now he felt guilty and sank lower into the water, only daring to continue watching because Sanzo's hair shaded his eyes, catching the sun as he tilted his head to undo the hooks at his collar. Then with the same deliberate, fluid movement he peeled the black sheath off his body, pulling it up from his waist and over his head.

Goku wasn't sure if he liked seeing Sanzo like this. His robes give him a powerful dignity, the black sheath was like armor, accenting his strength, but all that skin made Sanzo seem fragile. Then Sanzo swept the black cloth into the river and leaned forward, bracing himself on a nearby rock as he swished it around. His arm and shoulder flexed under the weight and his belly and chest tightened as support. Maybe fragile wasn't the right word. Then Sanzo looked up, catching Goku's eyes from under the fringe of his hair, and Goku forgot about words all together.

"Getting your saucer filled?"

The attempt to spin and punch Gojyo only ended up giving Goku a nose full of water. He broke the surface sputtering and coughing, and automatically slapped away the hand grabbing at him.

"Gojyo," Hakkai scolded and offered his hand again. This time Goku took it as he cleared the water out of his nose and the tears out of his eyes.

"I didn't do anything!" Gojyo protested but his gaze shifted so that Goku knew he was looking toward Sanzo. Then he smirked. "The saru suddenly got too heavy to float."

"From what I saw, not a problem you're ever going to have!" Goku snapped back.

Gojyo gaped as Hakkai chuckled softly, "Don't think you're going to need to have that talk after all. Except to remind him that size has very little to do with ability." It took a few tries for Gojyo to get his mouth to work.

"No matter how I take that, I'm insulted."

"Not at all. I'm simply saying that if Goku's expectations are set with you and himself as the standard, he will only end up being disappointed."

After a long moment of thought, Gojyo smiled. "You're good."

"So you keep telling me."

"Hakkai, do you mean he's really...?" Goku couldn't figure out how to put this.

"Above average?"

Goku nodded. And Hakkai nodded back, slowly. "Oh," Goku said, trying to hide his smile. Sort of.

"Wait a minute," Gojyo said. "What are you saying?"

"Nothing."

"Don't say 'nothing' like you've just stolen the last spring roll, you monkey bean. You're saying that.... You can't be.... You're short!! Show me."

"Pervert! It wouldn't count anyway; we're in a cold river."

"You're lying. It must be a matter of proportion. Optical illusion. Hakkai?!"

"Why are you asking me?"

"You seemed to know.... "

"An accidental glances. I didn't get out a ruler and measure. And why does it matter?"

"Because .... Because .... " Gojyo fingers flexed like he would have grabbed a fistful of Hakkai's shirt if he could; instead he put his hands on Hakkai's shoulders and snarled at him, nose to nose, "He's a monkey!"

Hakkai smiled and Goku decided to be elsewhere before things got embarrassing. More embarrassing. He turned back toward the river bank and saw only Sanzo's clothes drying on the grass.

"Sanzo? Sanzo!" Practicality overrode embarrassment–-he turned back and punched Gojyo in the side of the head. "Stupid kappa, you made me lose Sanzo! SANZO!"

"You're just mad because you missed the rest of the show."

"I'm not a pervert like you. SANZO!!"

"SHUT! UP!"

As Goku headed toward the comforting voice, he saw a hand reaching for him out of the corner of his eye. But the hand withdrew suddenly, so he looked over his shoulder and saw Hakkai with his arms wrapped around Gojyo's chest, whispering in Gojyo's ear. From the look of the stupid smile on the pervert's face, he'd lost all interest in continuing their fight. This...thing with Hakkai might work to Goku's advantage, too, now and then.

Sanzo's call had come from a little farther downriver so Goku let himself stretch into an easy crawl that covered the distance in no time. He liked the water, he liked to swim, there hadn't been much chance to enjoy it lately. A shallow point turned out to be not so shallow on the other side. A small cove had been carved out of the jutting rock and Sanzo had claimed the shady spot as his private bath. He looked more relaxed than he had in weeks with his head tilted back against the stone rim, arms spread across it with his elbows bent so his hands hung in the water. The water just about reached his collarbone, making Goku notice that there was a line showing where Sanzo's bare shoulders had tanned during the trip.

"What?" Sanzo asked without bothering to open his eyes, and startling Goku.

"Just checking."

One eye opened and Sanzo lifted his hand, dripping water on the rock where the rolled-up scripture and his gun sat. "If you've got a ruler with you, I will shoot you."

"I don't need a ruler!" Sanzo's eyebrow lifted and Goku stumbled on a rock on the river bed. He wasn't sure what surprised him more, that Sanzo had made the joke or that he wanted to reply along the same lines. Whatever the reason, his mouth didn't wait for his brain. Again. "Do I look like a pervy kappa?"

"At the moment there are a number of similarities." Both eyes were open now and the look in them made Goku stop wading any further into the shallows. He couldn't figure out what it meant and before he had time to really think about it, it was gone. And Sanzo closed his eyes again, dismissing him, but there was no way was he going to let that comment go.

He bit off his response this time, keeping the instinctive, "What do you mean by that?" behind his teeth. The only answer he would get was, "Exactly what I said," which wasn't going to get him anywhere. If he were similar to Gojyo what would he be like? Goku grinned as he pictured himself with the ridiculous hairdo but then he remembered Gojyo looking at Hakkai, smiling at Hakkai, touching Hakkai. He winced as he realized part of him had become far too much like the kappa despite the cool water. The intention to turn and sink back into the river was half accomplished when Goku realized that was exactly what Sanzo had meant. Maybe not exactly, but he knew what he wanted to ask now.

"Name three," Goku said quietly. He made sure to be quiet because he spoke right into Sanzo's ear. Any closer and they would be touching. Sanzo must have known he was there but didn't open his eyes until Goku spoke, and even then didn't move away.

"Three?"

Sanzo turned his head as he asked the question and Goku could feel the heat from Sanzo's nose on his own, they were so close. Goku smiled, just like Hakkai had when Gojyo had snarled at him. Sanzo blinked. Goku almost laughed but instead answered, "Name three similarities."

"You're annoying the shit out of me."

"But that's more of a similarity to a bakazaru. He's been annoying you for much longer."

"It's different. And don't talk about yourself in the third person." Sanzo glared at him but still didn't move away. "You're touching me."

"No, I'm not." He would have never considered it. Touching Sanzo without his permission seemed...sacrilegious. But Sanzo would never give his permission, and Gojyo did touch him often and most of the time he didn't get shot for it. Goku lifted his hand out of the water and placed it on Sanzo's right shoulder, in part to keep himself from resting his cheek on it. His forearm pressed against more skin until the point of his elbow came to rest in the crook of Sanzo's. The muscle under his fingers stiffened so it seemed a natural thing to sooth them, using his thumb to gently ease the tension.

"What are you doing?" Sanzo asked, his voice rough.

"Letting you get one right."

If he had thought about it, he would have known how Sanzo would react. Maybe on some level he did know because his body moved at the same time as Sanzo's, only faster. He grabbed Sanzo's right wrist before Sanzo reached his gun. At the same instant, he pushed on Sanzo's other shoulder and threw his weight over Sanzo's body, pinning him to his seat. Goku wasn't going to be brushed aside, smacked aside, shot-at aside anymore. Not today at least. He wasn't going to let Sanzo escape this conversation.

"I think that move has made blatantly obvious another four similarities," Sanzo said, the same disdain in his voice that he used for the most moronic morons. But he wasn't meeting Goku's eyes anymore and Goku had discovered a striking similarity on Sanzo's part as well.

The idea that had begun teasing the edge of his brain during the ride here suddenly appeared clear and complete. If that idea was wrong, Sanzo would forgive him. Eventually. But if it was right....

He didn't really know what he was doing, but he knew the principle–-two sets of lips pressed together. There was the feeling that something wasn't right, it was like kissing a statue, but the warmth, and Sanzo's scent filling his head, and the feel of skin against his lips made Goku want to taste. As he pulled back he gave Sanzo's bottom lip a little lick. The statue came to life.

Sanzo gasped, his lips parted, and Goku couldn't help but try another kiss. Sanzo's hand went to his hip, pushing him away, but not hard enough, for when Goku braced against the pressure he ended up against Sanzo's body. The fingers that had been pushing him away now dug into his flesh. The lips that had been hard during the first kiss now moved against his in rhythm with Sanzo's heartbeat. The body under him moved, too, surging up and dragging heated skin across heated skin. The kiss broke with mutual gasps.

"Get off me," Sanzo snarled.

Goku moved instinctively to follow the order until he realized that Sanzo still had a grip on his hip, that he wasn't pushing Goku away with anything but his words. The idea flashed in his mind again; Goku loosened his grip on Sanzo's right wrist. If Sanzo went for his gun, the idea was wrong. If he shoved Goku away, the idea was wrong. He couldn't bring himself to let go of Sanzo completely, so instead he dragged his fingers up Sanzo's arm to bring his hand back to Sanzo's shoulder. The hand that could have reached for the gun settled on his other hip. And it didn't push him away either.

With both hands firmly braced, Goku shifted to find a better angle to try another kiss. It slid his cock over Sanzo's belly again and Sanzo's rubbed against the inner curve of his hipbone. Sanzo hissed this time and Goku swallowed Sanzo's inevitable rebuke, taking advantage to deepen the kiss, get a better taste. He didn't realize he could get his tongue bitten off that way until Sanzo's teeth closed on it. It was also then he realized he was tasting something that could not only bite him back, but taste him back. He groaned and leaned into Sanzo again.

Sanzo's jaw dropped a bit, his tongue slid around Goku's, his fingers stopped clutching and one hand moved to the small of Goku's back. For a brief moment Goku got it, he understood what all the fuss was about. The combination of overwhelming excitement and complete peace. The feeling of being with someone you love. Of being kissed by someone you love.

A full body shudder went through Sanzo and this time he did push Goku away, not far away, just far enough. One hand stayed on his hip and the other held his shoulder at arm's length. Goku waited for the slap or the shout or even just, "Go away" simply stated. He didn't get any of that. Sanzo glared-–no doubt about it being a glare-–but he also seemed...uncertain. His anger wasn't focused.

While Goku's brain tried to figure out what he should do, the rest if him had already decided. The hand he had resting on Sanzo's shoulder started soothing the muscle again, firm strokes over the skin while moving higher and higher toward Sanzo's neck. Goku's hand was the only thing that moved until he pressed his fingertips against the top of Sanzo's spine and rubbed under Sanzo's ear with his thumb, then the violet eyes closed for a moment. Goku took the opening and he almost reached Sanzo's lips when Sanzo tightened up again, stopping him with both the strength of his hands and his rejection.

Goku let his hand and his head drop. "I give up," he said, the words spoken directly at Sanzo's heart while his forehead rested on Sanzo's collarbone.

"You what?"

Goku raised his head. "I can't fight-–" WHAP! Where did that damn fan come from?!

"Don't tell me what you can't fight, bakazaru," Sanzo said, sounding disgusted and...no, just disgusted.

"Then I won't fight-–"

"So don't."

"I'm not."

"Then stop."

Stop this fight. Right. Goku kissed Sanzo again, hard, pressing their bodies together completely. This time when Goku shifted, it wasn't by accident. This time when Sanzo gasped, he pulled Goku closer with his hand in Goku's hair. Goku kept moving forward, deepening the kiss to the point where Sanzo's neck arched against the rock. He found enough room to brace his knees on either side of Sanzo's thighs and used his free hands to cushion Sanzo's head, threading his fingers into sun-bright hair.

And it was warm, so warm. After the coolness of the water, the heat against his hands drew him closer. He eased his lips from Sanzo's mouth and trailed them along Sanzo's cheek. His own cheek followed the path until the scratch of stubble near Sanzo's jawline brought out the desire to taste again. Salt, of course, and the faint bitterness of gunpowder tickled his tongue, along with the fine whiskers as he licked a single stripe over the bone. There was the urge to bite when he reached Sanzo's chin and Goku gave in, very gently, but continued to indulge as he worked his way around toward Sanzo's other ear. The sound of Sanzo's breathing became loud in his own ear and underneath that, sounds Sanzo would never let reach the air.

Goku heard a growl, not restrained, and instinctively snarled back before he realized that the growl had been his. Something flashed in Sanzo's eyes, Goku saw it as he looked up in surprise, but the coinciding flex of Sanzo's hips kept him from worrying about it. It kept him from doing anything other than baring down with cock and lips and teeth. The barely strangled groan he felt under his tongue as he bit at Sanzo's throat went straight to his groin in a wave of heat. He purred back as he licked his way up to Sanzo's ear and nuzzled at the hair behind it as he rocked against firm flesh.

"Goku."

What?

"Goku!"

"What?!" He was just getting the hang of it. Then he felt fingers slip around his cock, pulling, pushing in a slower rhythm. Sanzo was tugging him over, too, so he shifted his weight a bit to his other knee and... "OH!" He shuddered and rubbed his face against Sanzo's shoulder as his cock slid against Sanzo's.

The second stroke made him growl again and he felt the catch in Sanzo's breath against his chest. He smiled, and made sure Sanzo could feel teeth against the skin of his neck. Sanzo's hand kept their bodies at a distance Goku wasn't sure he liked, but he wasn't about to disturb the remarkable feeling it was creating. He had skin under his cheek and he nuzzled into the base of Sanzo's throat, wallowing in feeling and scent and taste.

Sanzo pushed him back a bit, and the hand Goku had resting on Sanzo's far shoulder slid down over Sanzo's chest. Somehow this seemed more daring than anything else Goku had done. It was so...obvious. Touching Sanzo. Goku's cock was rubbing up against Sanzo's, he had mapped Sanzo's mouth with his tongue, but watching his fingertips skate over the rise of Sanzo's chest made his breath come faster. He let a nipple slip between two of his fingers and Sanzo's breath caught again, so he circled it and brushed the tip with his thumb. He heard the sharp inhale this time.

The sound brought his gaze to Sanzo's face. He was pink again, flushed cheeks, darker lips that looked bruised. Goku didn't feel at all guilty about making them look like that, he liked Sanzo looking like that, over-exerted and a little dazed. He scratched at the nipple with the back of his nail. Sanzo's grip on his cock tightened and Sanzo's mouth opened in a silent gasp. Then so did Goku's as Sanzo licked his lips.

"Goku," Sanzo whispered.

And Goku couldn't watch anymore. All he could do was let himself unravel. The thread Sanzo had been winding tighter and tighter fell off its spool in waves, turning Goku into a shapeless pile at Sanzo's feet. In Sanzo's lap to be more precise. At some point his head had tilted back so that he looked up at the sky and he felt happy and sleepy, like after a really, really, really good meal. But he wanted to see Sanzo. Lifting his head rocked him forward again, which sent another violent shiver up his spine. He brought his own hand down to protect his overly sensitive cock. His fingers tangled with Sanzo's, which was nice, but they also encountered very hot, very, very hard flesh, which was more than nice. However, it wasn't fair, and Goku believed in being fair.

"Goku, don't..."

Goku kissed him. Sanzo refused to get it sometimes. And this was much more fun than hitting him with a fan. One, two, three kisses to go with the firm strokes of his fist and Goku got to taste Sanzo's voice, actual sound poured out of Sanzo's mouth into Goku's as liquid heat coated Goku's fist. As the tremors eased, Sanzo pulled his mouth away, but he pulled the rest of him closer, wrapping both arms around Goku and resting his forehead on Goku's shoulder.

"I've got you, Sanzo," Goku said, feeling warmer and fuller than he could ever remember feeling.

"Baka, you have nothing." The words were harsh but there wasn't any of Sanzo's usual venom behind them. Goku sat back and met Sanzo's eyes; the look in them was the most serious Sanzo had ever given him. "Hold nothing, Goku."

Goku knew what Sanzo was trying to tell him, but he knew what it was like to hold nothing. It sucked. "I guess I really am a monkey, then," he said and brought his smiling face close enough to touch Sanzo's nose with his. "For as long as I can I intend to hold on to everything I've got, including my Sanzo."

Goku risked a quick kiss before turning and making a shallow dive back into the main body of the river. He heard the bullet enter the water beside his ear and was still smiling as he broke the surface.

The river wasn't very big but the current was strong enough to make the swim back an invigorating one. The kappa was still floating in the shallows when he returned, a new cigarette burning between his smirking lips. Hakkai was getting dressed and held out a towel as Goku climbed up onto the bank.

"Gojyo's youkai blood is showing," Goku said as he took the towel. In answer to the questioning look, he touched one set of four red crescents on Hakkai's back. "You should get him to trim his nails."

Hakkai pulled his shirt over his head hurriedly and turned to scold. "Gojyo!"

The kappa waded out of the water and grabbed Hakkai's towel as he passed. "Don't worry. They won't scar." Gojyo's voice was odd and it focused Goku's attention. Hakkai didn't let go of the towel, even taking a step closer.

"Gojyo," he said quietly and reached up to brush his fingertips over Gojyo's own scars. "They don't need to."

After a couple of heartbeats, a shadow seemed to lift from Gojyo's face and they leaned toward each other before Hakkai shoved the rest of the towel against Gojyo's chest and took a big step back. Goku caught sight of the colour in Hakkai's cheeks before he turned completely out of view, but Gojyo didn't bother hiding his grin. When he caught Goku staring, it widened for an instant before he put his cigarette back.

"So, saru," Gojyo said, toweling himself off. "Catch that monkfish you were searching for?"

The sound of Sanzo returning kept him from having to answer. That was probably safest, for he wanted to say yes, announce that he was hanging on just like Gojyo had. But the announcement would be just as unnecessary and likely much more dangerous.

WHAP!!

"What did I do?!" Goku rubbed his head, scowling very hard in order not to grin.

"I don't know." Sanzo glared at him, narrow-eyed. "But I'm sure you do." The glare moved from Goku to Gojyo, who was reaching for his pants, where it changed to the Sanzo version of a smile. Gojyo looked up in time to see it.

"What?" Gojyo said, looking frantically between Sanzo and Hakkai and even glaring at Goku, who just shrugged. He was worn out from trying to figure what Sanzo was thinking.

Sanzo tossed his robes over his shoulder and headed toward the now refreshed Jeep. As he passed, he said, "Nothing," and patted Goku on the head which made Hakkai hide his face behind his hand.

"Don't give me 'nothing', you shitty monk," Gojyo yelled, doing up his pants while chasing after Sanzo. With Sanzo's back to them, Goku let his grin escape. Hakkai returned it as he put his arm around Goku's shoulder and steered them toward the car.

Nothing had changed. Then it wasn't supposed to. The road still headed west and it was only going to get hotter. The dust that had coated them would settle again and likely stay until the last coating from the ruins of Houtou Castle.

After that, everything would change-–a new quest, new trials, new things to make Sanzo hot and flushed. Goku would make sure of it.


End file.
